McMaster University recognizes that the University and surrounding Hamilton area, including their nature spaces, are situated on traditional territories shared between the Haudenosaunee confederacy and Anishnaabe nations. These lands are protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum belt. The wampum uses the symbolism of a dish to represent the territory, and one spoon to represent that the people are to share the resources of the land and only take what they need.
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Nature @ McMaster

Rare Insects

Hamilton is buzzing with hundreds of bee, butterfly, beetle, and other insect species. Insects can be found anywhere in the city from basements and compost piles to marshes and forests. Many of Hamilton’s native insect species are rare and threatened by pesticides and habitat loss.

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Photo by Thom Wilson

American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus)

American Bumble Bees are a species of Special Concern according to the Committee on the status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). This charismatic bee species has experience severe population decline and continues to become more and more scarce. It is a medium-sized bee species with dark wings and distinctive yellow and black banding on its abdomen. American Bumble Bees live in grasslands, prairies, meadows, and farmlands, and are important pollinators. They feed on nectar and pollen from a wide variety of plant species, and pollinate flowers as they pass from plant to plant. This species live in colonies, usually making their nests above ground in mats of grass or using abandoned rodent burrows.

American Bumble Bees have an annual life cycle. Queens emerge from their overwintering sites in rotting logs or compost in early spring and begin searching for a nest site. Once they have chosen their location, the queen will begin laying eggs to produce workers. These workers take over caring for the nest from the queen once they mature, and begin collecting nectar and pollen for the colony. In late summer, the queen produces new males and queens to continue the population. These bees leave the colony to mate, and the new queens find a suitable site to overwinter. The remaining bees reach the end of their life cycle and die off in Autumn.

Like most insect species, American Bumble Bees have likely been affected by pesticide use and habitat loss. These factors can have devastating affects on insect populations. This population decline leads to a domino effect, as plants that rely on insect pollination also suffer and aerial insectivores like swallows and bats struggle to find food. Insects are crucial to the survival of most terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, so insect conservation is essential for maintaining healthy fields, forests, and wetlands.

References:

Government of Canada. (2019, October 9). American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus): COSEWIC assessment and status report 2018. Environment and Climate Change Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/american-bumble-bee-2018.html

 

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Photo by Jonathan Scholtens

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

Monarch Butterflies are a brightly-coloured large butterfly species that can be found across North America. Unlike most butterflies, monarch butterflies migrate every year. In autumn, monarch Butterflies across northeastern North America migrate up to 4000 kilometers to Mexico, where they will spend the winter. On their return journey in the spring, monarch butterflies stop, breed, and die multiple times along the way, making it a multi-generational migration. Monarch Butterflies continue to breed and lay eggs from spring until midsummer. As caterpillars, this species exclusively feeds on milkweed species. These plants contain a toxin that monarch butterfly caterpillars are not harmed by, but that makes them unappetizing to would-be predators. This toxin is stored in the butterflies’ bodies for the entire life. Monarch Butterflies are important pollinators, feeding on nectar from a wide array of plant species and spreading pollen from flower to flower.

Due to their international migrations, Monarch Butterflies face a variety of threats. Herbicide use, habitat loss, and invasive species have all resulted in population decline. Monarch Butterflies are entirely dependent on milkweed to survive, and herbicide use has led to a decline in milkweed populations. Additionally, monarch butterflies rely on a small area of Oyamel fir forest in Mexico to overwinter, which is under threat from extreme weather events, logging, and agriculture. Monarch Butterflies are also impacted by the introduction of Dog-strangling Vine, an invasive plant in the milkweed family. Monarch butterflies sometimes mistakenly lay their eggs on this plant, but their caterpillars are unable to feed on it and die. Since monarch butterflies need healthy habitat across Canada, the United States, and Mexico to survive, they have become a symbol of international conservation co-operation. Organizations across all three nations have worked to protect Monarch Butterfly habitat, plant native milkweed species, and engage the public in conservation of this beautiful species. Monarch Butterflies still face many threats, so continued conservation is needed.

References:

Government of Canada. (2019, August 29). Monarch Butterfly: profile of a species at risk. Environment and Climate Change Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-education-centre/fact-sheets/monarch-butterfly.html

Government of Ontario. (2014). Monarch. ontario.ca. https://www.ontario.ca/page/monarch